Safety switch for vehicle doors



Nov. 19, 1929. DEMAND 1,736,189

SAFETY SWITCH FOR VEHICLE DOORS Filed May 51, 1927 2 Sheets-Sheet l fl imm J" f ln l lnm M at. 3mm,

7770144 Wv 711M444 INVENTORQ ATTORNEYS Nov. 19, 1929;

'A.' G. DEMAND SAFETY SWITCH FOR VEHICLE noons Filed May 31, 192'! 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR. m Ema/M 7fiml 79 Z m A TTORNEYG a n a ov. 19; 1929 'rnuza e. DEMAN or ar'rnnron, Wisconsin sunn SWITCH ron vnnicnn noons Application filed Kay 81, 1927, Serial No. 195,486.

Thisinvention relates to improvements in v safety switches for vehicle doors.

- Itus tlie'p-rimary' object of the present invention toprovide a device which will automatically operate to prevent the movement of a'vehicle from .a standing position if any of the doors of the vehicle are open or are improperly latched.

A further object of the invention is to provide a switch controlled device for motor vehicles, which, if all of the vehicle doors are properly closed, willpermit the normal operation of the vehicle, but if any door is open or unlatched, the device will prevent the env scribed, and it will be seen to comprise a gagement of the clutch to obtain power to move the vehicle from standing position, and a signal will alsobe operated on the vehicle dash to notify the driver that all of the doors are not properly closed.

A further object of the inv ntion is to provide a device of the character described with which any motor vehicle may be readily equipped, the device being automatically operated by current from the storage battery of the vehicle.

' A further object of the invention is to pro- 4 vide a safety switch for vehicle doors which .is of very simple construction, is strong and durable, is inex'pensive to manufacture'and install, is'eflicint and effective in operation,

and is well adapted for the purposes de-- scribed. I 1

With the above and other objects in view, the invention consists of the improved vehicle door safety switch, and its parts and combinations as set forth in the claims, and all equivalents thereof. i

In the accompanying drawings, in which the same reference characters indicate the same parts'in all of the views: p

- Fig, 1 is. a side view-of a magnetic clutch pedal stop'forming part of the device and v connected with a portion of a vehicle frame; Fig. 2 is an inverted plan view of the clutch pedal stop indicated on line 2-2 of Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is a view taken on line 33 of Fig. 2;

Fig. 4 is a vertical sectional view through a vehicle door frame showing a door switch mounted therein, the latter eing in section;

wire 20 is connected with the brass washer 17 1 Fig. 5 is a front view of a switch as mountedinadoor frame;and M N Fig: 6,is'- a diagrammatic view of the arrangement of the device on. a vehicle with four doors, and showing the wiring connections.

Referringnow more particularly to the drawings, it will appear that the device includes a switch 8 for each vehicle door (see Figs. 4 and 5), and a magnetic clutch pedal sto 9 mounted .on the vehicle frame in proximlty to the clutch pedal (see Fig 1) and in electrical connection with all of the switches.

One of the switches 8 will now be demetallic cylindrical barrel member 10 having a head portion 11 and a longitudinal bore 12 reduced at the inner end portion, as at 12'. Aplunger 13 is movably mounted in the bore of the barrel member and projects therefrom 0 at both ends. The front end portion of the plunger is formed as a button 13' and a coiled spring 14 is confined within the bore 12 between the inner end portion of. the barrel andanenlargement 15- on the front end portion of the plunger. A.fiber collar 16 is pinned to the inner end portion --of the plunger exteriorly of the barrel, and between said collar and end ofthe barrel a brass wash- I e'r 17 is mounted fast on the plunger.

Each of the switches" 8 is mounted in the door frame '18 of an automobile and is held thereto by screws 19 extended through the head portion 11 of the switch, and a circuit A secondci'rcuit wire 21 which is grounded to the frame of the automobile, extends to the metallic barrel 10 of the switch. a The switch 8 is mounted with relation to :1. vehicle door 22 (shown partially open) in a manner so that when the door is closed, it

'will engage the button portion 13' of the plunger and push the plunger inwardly against the tension of the spring 14. This movement will separate the brass washer 17 5 from engagement K with the metallic barrel portion and will 0 en the circuit in'which said switch is inclu ed. It should also be observed that the clutch pedal stop 9, a storage battery 23 of the vehicle, the vehicle-ignition switch 26 and an incandescent si al bulb 24 a, bolt 29 and in juxtaposition to the vehicle Y 41' and to the arm 36, and the stop arm will 4 on the vehicle instrument boar I 25 are includcd in the. same circuit, as will later be' explained more in detail, Obviously, when the door 22 is opened, the spring 14 will return the lunger to normal position and brass washer 17 into contact withbring the the barrel whereby'the circuitwill be closed.

The clutch pedal stop 9 is provided with a bracket portion 27 to engage a ffame port on 28 of the vehicle to which it is secured by clutch pedal 30, and depending from the bracket portion-is a magnet 31 1n the form' of a spool upon which a coil 32 is wound and through which 'an armature 33 is extended. A stop arm 34 is pinned at its inner end portion to one end portion of a pivot bolt 35 extended through a bearing portion 27 of the bracket and pinned to'the opposlte end portion of the pivot bolt is a short arm 36 ex-.

tended in a direction opposite to that of the stop arm. 34 and adjacent the armature of the magnet." When the magnet is energized by circuit wires 37 and 38, which also include the vehicle battery 23, the short arm 36 1s attracted by the armature and moved to the full line osition shown in Fig. 1, causing an upward movement of the free end portion of the stop arm 34 to engage under a portion of the clutch pedal shank 39, thereby preventing the depression of the clutch pedal 30 and the engagement of the vehicle clutch. However, when the magnet is not energized, the stop arm 34 and short arm 36 will assume the position shown in dotted lines in Fig. 1,

being returned thereto by a coiled spring 40' connected to a portion of the vehicle frame not then interfere with the free operation of the clutch pedal.

In Fig. 6 is shown a diagrammatic view of the device as arranged for an automobile having four doors. A circuit wire 42 is connected with one of the terminals of the storage battery 23 and said wire extends to the ignition switch 26 of the vehicle. Extending from the other terminal of the switch is the wire 38 which connects with oneend of the coil 32 of the magnet and the wire 37 is connected with the other end portion of the coil. Shunt wires 43 and 44 extend from the wires 37 and 38 to the signal bulb 24 on the instrument board 25. The wire 37 from the exceptone'are open, and the ignition switch I is closed with a result that a. circuit is completed through the battery,thermagnet, the signal bulb and the closed switch, resulting in an energizingof the magnet whereby the stop arms 34 is held in the position shown to revent depression of theclutch pedal, an of course, the clutch cannot then been aged and the car cannot be driven from stan in position. The signal bulb 24 will also be illuminated to notify the driver, and as soon as the vehicle door is closed, the circuit will be broken and the stop arm will move to inoperative position to permit the normal operation of the vehicle. Obviously, the switch and stop sy'stemma be connected with any number of vehicle oors.

It will thus be seen that with the device .1

described, a vehicle cannot be driven if any of the doors are open or are improperly latched, "with the result that accidents and damage occasioned by proceeding with opened doors will be eliminated. Also, the device isof simple and novel construction, andis well adapted for the purpose described.

What I claim as my invention is: I

1. In an automatic locking mechanism for motor vehicles, a depressible clutch pedal, an

arm pivotally mounted adjacent theclu'tch pedal to releasably engage the under portion of the pedal to prevent depression of the same, an electricail member controlling said arm to move and old it inclutch engaging position, and switches controlled by doors on the vehicles and arranged in parallel and.

coil extends to all of the switches 8 and is connected thereto by connections 20, 45, 46 and 47. Each switch is independently grounded to the frame of the vehicle b wires 21, as is the other terminal of the 'attery by a ground connection 48. As previously explained, each switch is operated by a door and thecircuit is open when the door is closed, and closed when the door is open, if the igmtion switch is turned on. As shown in Fig. 6, all of the switches 

